Life in the slums of Rio de Janero in Brazil is very different from everything we know. At the city landfill, as the trucks pull up and dump their loads of garbage, armies of mostly children clamber around mountains of filth coming down on them for salvageable goods.
One day, a 14-year-old boy finds a wallet, with some money, and a few other objects that don’t look that important. He shares the loot with two of his friends. Within a day, police inspectors start swarming the slum trying to find “a wallet.”
The boys don’t realize that they have evidence in hand to bring down some very powerful people. A dangerous cat and mouse game ensues.
Trash is about police and government corruption in Brazil. When I think of Rio, I think of white beaches, grandiose scenery, beautiful women, and tourists. This film paints a very different picture of the city. We never see the pretty side. We are surrounded only by sewer, slums, trash and the endless struggle of people just to survive, just to eat the next day.
Martin Sheen is the biggest star in this film, but his role is actually fairly minor. He plays a priest who has joined the desperate fight of the underclass against the oppression of the rich and powerful.
I have never been to Brazil myself. As I watched this eye-opening and thought-provoking film, I thought of my many Brazilian friends and I wondered what their commentary would be.
Trash is certainly a worthwhile movie to watch. It gets the thinking juices flowing.
[English Subtitles]